BOAT RACE RIVALS IN POKER SHOWDOWN Oxford and Cambridge go head-to-head in first inter-university tournament All eyes may be on the boat race this weekend, but the two centuries-old academic rivals will be squaring up to each other in a rather different contest at 8pm this Sunday evening. Just a matter of hours after sixteen varsity beefcakes have battled it out on the Thames, up to 100 of the country's finest young minds will go head-to-head in the inaugural Oxford vs Cambridge Online/Offline Poker Cup sponsored by Victor Chandler Poker. Tapping into the rocketing popularity of online poker amongst the country's two million students, the world's first inter-university tournament will see students from Oxford and Cambridge compete in a free-to-play online tournament for the right to represent their university in a live showdown to take place on Friday 16th May. And if playing for university pride wasn't incentive enough, hosts and sponsors Victor Chandler Poker has spiced things up even further by providing over £2,000 in prize money; more than enough to keep the average student in beer for many months! "It's fitting that on a weekend steeped in tradition and history that Oxford and Cambridge are extending their rivalry in completely new ways" said Joe Barnard, President of the Oxford Poker Society. "Online poker is proving to be incredibly popular amongst students everywhere, so we're absolutely delighted to be involved in the first event of its kind: it'll be great fun and a real challenge." Victor Chandler are hosting and sponsoring the event, which they hope will be the first of many university poker challenges. For more information, please contact: Simon Prodger, Victor Chandler Worldwide, 020 7292 0069 and [email protected]. About the Victor Chandler Casino Division Victor Chandler Worldwide (VCW) is one of the world's most established and well respected online gaming companies. The parent company is the largest independent bookmaker in the UK and is over 50 years old. The casino division of VCW was started in 2000 to capitalise on the growing market for online play and the position of the parent company as a trusted brand. In addition to vcpoker.com, there are four casino products in the VCW portfolio. They are: The Spin Room (www.thespinroom.com), a java based casino which was launched in March 2001 for the UK market; Victor Chandler casino (www.victorchandlercasino.com), a multiplayer downloadable casino for UK players; Victor Casino (www.victorcasino.com), an Asian facing casino with dealer voices in Mandarin, Cantonese as well as English; Victor Games (www.victorgames.com), a site featuring games of chance and aimed at the "soft gaming" market. Contact Simon Prodger, CRM/Marketing Executive Victor Chandler Worldwide t - 020 7292 0069 f - 020 7292 0055 e - [email protected].